1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fuel cell vehicle and a water discharging method for a fuel cell vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, fuel cell vehicles are under vigorous development. Such fuel cell vehicles are equipped with a fuel cell and driven by rotating a drive motor (an electric motor) using an electric power supplied from the fuel cell.
When the fuel cell generates an electric power, water continues to be produced at a cathode (an air electrode) by virtue of an electrode reaction at the cathode. In addition, in order to secure the diffusibility of hydrogen ions (protons) in a solid polymer electrolyte membrane (hereinafter, referred to as an electrolyte membrane) which is part of the fuel cell, there is adopted a method in which for example, humidified air (oxidant gas) is supplied to the cathode side so as to maintain the electrolyte membrane in a wet state. Consequently, water produced at the cathode and contained in humidified air is discharged from the cathode side of the fuel cell, whereas water that has passed through the electrolyte membrane to an anode is discharged from the anode side of the fuel cell (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A-8-321316, paragraph 0016 to 0024 and FIG. 1).
However, such fuel cell vehicles equipped with a fuel cell are driven on public roads, and therefore, there is a demand that water discharged from the fuel cell be not discharged to the outside of the vehicle in the form of liquid.